


Is It Me You're Looking For?

by tacobender



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Peter Parker, Canon is tossed overboard wearing lead shoes, Disabled Character, Jewish Character, Lesbian Michelle Jones, M/M, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Michelle Jones, Trans Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:04:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19853761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacobender/pseuds/tacobender
Summary: MJ entered the library Tuesday afternoon to find (most of) the AcaDec team already there, just in time for practice.Minus one.MJ scanned the room in search of Peter when her eyes fell upon another boy with brown eyes, one she hadn't seen till now. Tall, dark haired...Korean? Yeah, Korean. Interesting development.Peter meets the new kid, and something beautiful blossoms from it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome to my first fic! I'm proud to introduce to the world, Michael Jeong! Many more OCs will follow, but I decided to bring Michael to the spot light first. Without further ado, Michael and Peter! More notes at the end.

MJ entered the library Tuesday afternoon to find (most of) the AcaDec team already there, just in time for practice.  
Minus one.  
MJ scanned the room in search of Peter when her eyes fell upon another boy with brown eyes, one she hadn't seen till now. Tall, dark haired...Korean? Yeah, Korean. Interesting development.  
The team captain heaved her bag off her shoulder and plopped into her seat with her legs crossed underneath her.  
“Alright” Mr. Harrington piped up “first order of business-”  
A slamming door followed by rapid footsteps cut him off, followed by heavy breathing and profuse apologies from a tardy Peter Parker.  
“Sorry! I'm late, I was just-I'll shut up now.” Peter laid his stuff on the floor and took his usual seat next to Ned, who quietly interrogated him on why he was late. Mr. Harrington cleared his throat, quieting the boys.  
“As I was saying, first order of business.” The teacher glanced at his clipboard for a moment and then back up at the new kid. “Right! We have a new student at Midtown and member of our team! Michael? Would you like to introduce yourself?”  
MJ observed the Korean boy, Michael, look away from Peter's direction and up at Mr. Harrington. MJ took note of this. Meanwhile, Michael took a deep breath and stood up.   
“Hi guys, my name is Michael, I moved here from Florida, and before that, I lived in South Korea.”   
"And what brought you to New York?"  
Michael shrugged, his eyes flitting away from the teacher. "My mom's job. Normally the reason we move."  
Mr. Harrington accepted this answer with a nod. “Thank you Michael, we're very happy to have you here.” Michael finger gunned stiffly and took his seat. He turned his head towards Peter and MJ, doing what MJ does best, observed Peter hastily looking away from the new boy.  
Interesting.  
The team got busy practicing. Physics, Algebra, and Geometry were on today's agenda. Throughout this session, MJ caught Michael and Peter looking at each other, sometimes letting their gazes linger while the other called out the answer to a question, but always avoiding eye contact.  
Fascinating.   
By the end of practice, they had been looking at each other enough to merit a whole staring contest despite avoiding eye contact. MJ was willing to bet good money they'd start going out in no time, given at least one of them was brave enough to make a move.  
On their way out of the library, MJ watched both of them vigilantly to see if one of them would take the opportunity right in front of their faces or if they would avoid each other.  
Not a word was spoken to the other, but MJ couldn't help but notice the way Michael was not so subtly eyeing Peter's backside while the latter boy exited the library, to do whatever it was he did when he ran off.  
It seemed they needed some gentle guidance. And who was better at gentle guidance than MJ?

Peter swung open his locker door and began to hurriedly pack his backpack. Today was an internship day, so Happy was picking Peter up from school, and he was thrilled to see his mentor! He zipped up his backpack and whirled around to go down the hallway, instead coming face to face with- "MJ!"  
"Hey Parker."  
Peter composed himself, hands scrambling to get his backpack on. "Can I- can I- h-how can I help you?"  
The taller girl smirked at him. "I caught some...development at practice today, I wanted to bother you about it."  
Peter lit up, oblivious to what MJ was actually implying. "Oh! Well, I took your advice on the algebraic portion-" MJ snorted. "Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there." Peter stopped, perplexed by her interruption, and gave her an inquiring look.   
"I'm talking about you and new guy eyeballing each other every chance you had."   
Peter stilled. "Eyeballing?"  
MJ nudged him with her foot. "Um, yeah? You were gawking at him every chance you had." Peter choked at the accusation. "I- I wasn't gawking at him! And he definitely wasn't looking at me!"  
MJ rolled her eyes. "You're right, you were straight up undressing each other with your eyes if the look on his face was any indicator." Peter threw his hands up and jerked his head around to make sure no one was around before he spoke again, but the halls were nearly empty. "I wasn't checking him out! I just, I-"   
"Thought he was hot?"  
Peter was feeling pretty attacked right now. He crossed his arms over his chest and didn't look MJ in the eye. "I wasn't looking at him! Or undressing him with my eyes."  
MJ laughed "Sure you weren't Parker."  
Peter tossed his bag over his shoulder, flustered. "This has been nice, but I have...places to be. Yeah." MJ raised her eyebrows at the smaller boy. "Sure thing Parker." She turned away, giving him the chance to flee. As he made a mad dash down the hall, he could hear her call after him "You can try again tomorrow!"  
Try what again? He thought as he left the building, making his way towards the Audi in the parking lot. 

"Hey Mr. Stark!"  
The mechanic glanced up at the spider entering the lab and patted the bench next to him "Have a seat kid, tell me about school."  
Peter hopped up on the bench next to his mentor, already rambling about his day. "...and Ms. Warren sprung a quiz on us, but I did good anyway, and I made a new batch of webfluid. I had decathlon practice and- oh! There's a new guy on my team! He moved here from Florida!"  
Tony smiled fondly at the boy's rambling, not looking up from his work. "That's nice kid. Is everything they say about Florida true?"  
Peter scoffed at his mentor "I don't know he just said he came here because of his mom's job." Tony chuckled, looking up from his work to properly converse with his mentee. "Did you introduce yourself?" Tony inquired. Peter's face changed a little at the question. "No, but he seemed really nice. He was tall and he had brown eyes." The description caught Tony's attention. "Did this boy have any other striking details?"  
Peter, not having caught on to Tony's intentions began describing the new boy in great detail. "Well his name is Michael, he has dark hair, his cheekbones are really sharp, and he has a nice voice"   
The older man quirked an eyebrow at his description. "Well, he sounds dashing." Peter felt his soul leave his body. His mentor too? Who else felt like accusing him of liking Michael?  
"I don't like him!" Peter insisted.  
Tony snorted. "I didn't quite say you liked him, kid."  
Peter groaned and clunked his head on the table. "I can't believe this." His mentor, still laughing, set his hand on the kid's shoulder.  
"Pete, it's really no problem if you think he's attractive! It's also pretty obvious."  
Peter lifted his head off the table, dragging his hands down his face with a deep sigh.  
"You should get to know him, he might be interested in you."  
Peter blanched at the older man's suggestion. "What! No!"  
Tony raised his eyebrows. "Well it wouldn't hurt to try! What if he likes you?"  
"He doesn't like me either!" Peter protested, to no avail.  
Tony sat back and shrugged nonchalantly. "Pete, just talk to him. Even if you don't end up going out with him, you might end up good friends with him, who knows."  
Peter gave the man a look. "I don't think so Mr. Stark."

"Alright students, we’re partnering up."  
Peter sighed, but gathered his things to go partner with Ned, like him and the other boy always did, but was intercepted by Mr. Harrington.  
“Mr. Parker, instead of you, the team captain will be partnering with Ned today." Peter wilted, having looked forward to partnering with Ned. Why couldn't he pair up with Ned? "You, on the other hand," Mr. Harrington continued "MJ suggested that since you're the strongest in Physics, you could partner up with Michael. He mentioned he could use some help"  
Peter felt his stomach drop to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see MJ looking at him, the biggest shit eating grin on her face.  
MJ. Of course it was MJ. Peter gave her his best angry look, which has no effect when you're short. Peter turned around in his seat to find Michael sitting right in front of him. He looked excited, a little too excited for flashcards with a stranger.   
Well shit, Peter thought. He is attractive.  
Before Peter could get lost in his eyes, Michael was already sticking his hand in front of him for a handshake. "Hi, I introduced myself yesterday, but I'm Michael!"  
Peter tried to say something but all that came out was air.  
Come on Parker, get your shit together.  
Peter hesitantly reached out to take the other boy's hand and oh my God his hand is so soft-  
"My name is Peter."  
Michael's hand was warm, and if he didn't let go soon, he was gonna think Peter was a creep.  
He let go of Michael's hand, feeling a tinge of sadness at the loss of warmth.  
"I hear you're the best at physics here?"  
Michael's question brought Peter out of his Warm Hand Euphoria. "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm pretty good at it."  
Smooth Parker.  
Michael, completely unaffected by Peter's dumbass response, lit up and began chattering. "Well that's good! I'm really good at historical and literature stuff but I was barely good enough at physics to make the team!"  
Peter listened to Michael jabber about physics and history, with a soft smile.  
Heh. He is kind of cute. This isn't terrible.  
Peter leaned in closer with his chin in his hand, his face becoming pleasantly warm.  
On the other side of the room, MJ opened her notebook and began sketching.

"Who received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the neutron?"  
Peter snapped his fingers. "James Chadwick."  
Michael looked up from the card. "That's right" he breathed with admiration. "You're really smart!"  
The boy in question blushed lightly, tucking some stray hair behind his ear. On the opposite side of the library, MJ's pencil was traveling across the paper at the speed of light, making sure to capture the heart eyes they were making at each other til the bell rang.   
"You barely even read the flash cards to me"  
MJ tucked her pencil onto her sketch book, not making eye contact with Ned, and slung her back pack over her shoulder.  
"What are you even drawing?"  
MJ looked up at Ned, and with a grin, turned her head towards Michael and Peter. The two were so deep in conversation they hadn't even noticed the bell ringing, signifying the end of the day. Peter was leaning forward with his chin in his hand, hanging onto Michael's every word. MJ couldn't hear what Michael was saying, but he clearly had Peter whipped. Ned had no idea what was going on and his face showed it.  
"I don't get it. Why couldn't I pair with Peter?"  
MJ gave him a snide look. She gestured dramatically at the boys.  
"Well Ned, I figured those two could work on their chemistry."  
It took him a minute. "Oh-OH. I understand now. Yeah. Yeah that's cool."  
MJ rolled her eyes at him and looked back. Both Peter and Michael were finally packing up, but never straying from their conversation.  
It seemed things would in fact happen, but MJ still had some work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wasn't eating. Well he was, he just wasn't quite focused on the plastic flavored cafeteria grilled cheese in front of him. He was too busy going on about everything he and Michael had talked about the day before, from Physics to Star Wars.  
> "And then he told me about this neighbor he had in Florida that danced through a whole sobriety test."  
> "Florida Man strikes again" Ned commented.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After *nearly* a whole month, the second chapter is here! Our boys strike a deal and MJ draws.

Peter wasn't eating. Well he was, he just wasn't quite focused on the plastic flavored cafeteria grilled cheese in front of him. He was too busy going on about everything he and Michael had talked about the day before, from Physics to Star Wars.  
"And then he told me about this neighbor he had in Florida that danced through a whole sobriety test."  
"Florida Man strikes again" Ned commented. MJ snickered, not looking up from her sketchbook but still listening intently. In her sketchbook, she had already filled up a whole page of Peter making heart eyes at Michael. She briefly wondered if her art could be hung in the Louvre. Highly unlikely, but a nice thought.  
MJ continued sketching till the end of lunch break bell rang.  
"What were you drawing?"  
MJ didn't respond to Peter's question. Instead, she gave him a sly grin as she tucked the sketchbook in her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Can't tell you that, but maybe someday I'll show you."  
Peter decided not to push. Maybe he didn't want to see it.  
It was time for World history.

He dropped his books on his desk and slumped in the chair with a sigh. He didn't dislike World History, he just had a bit of a hard time with it. At least the teacher was cool. Said teacher, Mr. Calvin, had not started class yet and was talking to someone at the front of the room. Mr. Calvin directed the other person to the empty seat in front of Peter. They turned around to reveal their face-  
Oh my God, it was Michael.  
Michael's face lit up when he recognized Peter and sat down, vibrating in anticipation. "Hey!"  
Peter shook himself out of his stupor and took a breath "Uh- hi!"  
Michael shoved his books under his desk, not noticing Peter's stuttered answer.  
"It's a good thing we're neighbors, I don't know anyone else in this class."  
Peter panicked.  
"I could use some help with my history"  
Michael's eyes widened at this rushed confession, and then brightened. "I can do that, I'd love to! Is it a certain time period you're struggling with?"  
Peter thanked his lucky stars Michael could hear his heart beat because it was going a mile a minute. "Uhhh, yeah."  
Michael grinned but was interrupted by the teacher beginning class. Michael turned back around in his seat and Peter had never been so thankful for World History to start.

The end of class came and Michael was pouring everything he knew about world history to Peter, who hung onto his every word.  
"...and the spread of Buddhism was a product of cultural diffusion. The first Noble truth of Buddhism taught…  
God he's cute when he rambles  
Peter nodded, listening raptly as they strolled down the hall. He should take Michael up on the tutoring offer. To get his history grade up. Obviously.  
Peter subconsciously plotted ways to spend more time with the other boy until the warning bell rang.  
"Aw crap" Peter bemoaned "I have gym class. What about you?"  
Michael shoved his books under one arm, shrugging the unoccupied one. "Biology."  
Peter sighed. He sped up his pace a little. "When do you have gym?"  
Peter almost sensed him wince at the mention of gym class.  
"Well, I don't actually have one."  
The shorter boy turned to look Michael, and just barely caught a glimpse of him limping before they stopped walking. He almost had the gut to ask him why, but decided against it. He was smart enough to tell when someone might not want to talk about something.  
"Ok. I guess I'll see you at AcaDec practice?"  
Michael smiled warmly at him, holding out his fist. "Catch you later."  
Peter gently knocked his fist against the other boy's, leaving it pressed against the other's knuckles for a millisecond too long, but Michael didn't pull away until Peter did. His knuckles were as soft as the palm of his hand.  
"Catch you later" Peter agreed. And as he half jogged down the hall to the gym, Michael watched him go.  
At the end of the day, Peter made it to practice on time. He sat across from Michael, next to Ned, making small bits of conversation between questions from Mr. Harrington. When it was over, Peter and Michael had agreed to meet for lunch every other day so Michael could help him with his history homework, at a table where certain ears wouldn't pick up anything. Not that Peter deliberately did that. Not at all.  
"And when we get the Zhou dynasty period, I'll quiz you again to see how our study technique holds up."  
Peter quietly took a deep breath and nodded eagerly. "Ok! At the table in the corner?"  
"At the table in the corner" Michael confirmed. Peter finger gunned at him, a gesture Michael found endearing, and turned to run out the door, and Michael watched him go.

May was filing patients' paperwork when her nephew came in the door. Since she'd found out his Spiderman secret, she'd made him agree to come home and check in with her before commencing web slinging. And thankfully, had stopped slamming doors when he was excited. Super strength could do damage to a door. But today, he wasn't even dashing in so he could get to web slinging like he normally did. Instead, he pulled his history textbook out and sat at the table.  
"History homework?"  
Peter pulled out his history folder and a pencil, not looking at her. "Yeah."  
May raised her eyebrows at the boy, peering at him over her glasses. "No Spider man?"  
Peter spared her a glance "Not right now. I'm studying."  
The woman stared at him in disbelief. Not that she didn't like tis, she was actually hopeful he'd crack down on his history, but she'd expected him to put it off til after spider activities at most.  
May reached across the table to playfully drag her knuckles across his scalp."Not that I'm complaining, but where did this motivation come from?"  
"I've found a tutor."  
He wasn't looking at her, but he could tell that his aunt was delighted.  
"Oh that's great sweetie! Is it MJ? She's real smart."  
Peter acknowledged this. "Yeah, but she actually pushed me towards another guy. His name is Michael."  
May sighed, relieved that her kid had decided to accept help, from a tutor nonetheless. Peter continued. "He moved here from Florida."  
"That's neat. What brought him up here?"  
While he scrawled notes from the textbook, he answered all of May's questions. "His mom's work. He didn't say what she does though."  
The older woman hummed, and started stacking her papers in an orderly fashion. "Alright. I have a late shift tonight. You can go web slinging, but be home by 10:30, ok?"  
Peter agreed, and began filling out answers on an assignment. May slung her purse over her shoulder, and kissed him on the head.  
"I'll see you later."  
"Bye May!"  
And as his aunt left the apartment, he was silently thankful she didn't get on his case for liking him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Comments fuel me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote 2/3 of this today  
> 2,092 words. Enjoy!

Michael had been tutoring Peter for a little over four weeks now. The grades on his weekly tests had gone from C- to B+, which he had proudly presented to his tutor. Michael praised him ardently, promising him a reward when he got up to A-. Peter went home that day vibrating with excitement. He was dying to see what Michael had in store and almost didn't want to do his other homework, but he still had to keep up on algebra. MJ told him personally to stick to his algebra or "your ass is grass and I'll mow you down".   
MJ was just nice like that.  
But today was a Michael day (affectionately dubbed by Ned) so he didn't have to listen to either of his best friends pester him about Michael.  
That morning, Michael had texted him (yes, texted. Peter had nearly spazzed when Michael suggested this and MJ had caught wind and gave Peter hell about it) to confirm their usual meet up and remind him that they were memorizing the Quizlet questions and answers for today's test. Nowadays he almost looked forward to world history. Mostly because it involves sitting and studying with Michael, and getting to enjoy his company. He pretty much just looked forward to hanging out with Michael.  
He entered the cafeteria and made his way towards their tutoring table until Michael's voice from the other side came at him.  
Michael was sitting with MJ and Ned.  
Peter swore his heart stopped at the sight of his tutor with his friends, making a halted U turn to the table his friends usually sat at.  
"Hey Peter! MJ said we should we study together!"  
Peter gave him a strained smile as he dropped his back pack on the floor and stiffly took a seat by Michael.  
No sooner than he sat down, he felt something pressed against his leg, and he assumed the worst (read: the best). A glance downwards confirmed his suspicions. Michael had turned to greet him, and his leg was touching Peter's.   
Peter's heart thrummed in his throat, but he didn't dare pull his own leg away. Instead, under the guise of shifting in his seat, he gently, ever so gently leaned into the other boy's touch. He savored the warmth, and inhaled slowly.   
This is really nice.

Holy crap, I think they're playing footsie  
MJ resisted the temptation to randomly shove her head under the table to check. Even Peter would know something was up. Instead, when Peter was looking at Ned, who was jabbering about another Lego Star Wars set, she quickly chucked her pen under the table. She heard it land under the bench on the other side of the table, and muttered "shit" to be more convincing. She cautiously surveyed the reactions of the boys around her, and when they didn't stop talking, she made her move. Restraining herself from jumping out of her seat, she got on her knees under the table. Her pen had landed right at Peter's feet, and the boy's leg was pressed firmly against Michael's.  
MJ took a minute to revel in her little victory, then snatched the pen and retreated to the upside of the table.

Michael didn't quite realize his leg was touching Peter's, but when Peter shifted, it became quite obviously clear that there was a leg there.  
A muscular leg.  
God damn.  
Michael clearly remembered Peter telling him he did ballet (Peter had cut one of their afternoon study sessions short because he realized he was late for ballet class), and it sure as hell felt like it. He never doubted ballerinas were strong, but the thigh of thunder pressed against his leg solidified that fact. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from hyperventilating. If they scooched any closer, their biceps would be dangerously close together.  
He must have nice biceps  
He contemplated putting a history book between them under the guise of studying, so he could lean close and touch his arm, but Peter was moving again, not just at the waist, he was moving his lower leg towards Michael's lower leg-  
The bell rang before anyone could move anymore leg, and Michael stood up in a jerky motion, hastily pulling his leg away from Peter's.  
"Ok, time for World History! Come on Peter, let's get this bread, we have that quiz today!"  
Peter, who looked briefly pained at the loss of contact, almost brightened up again.  
"Oh, yeah, that quiz."  
They made it into the hall, books in tow and Michael stopped Peter outside the classroom with a hand on his shoulder.  
The other boy froze at the sudden contact, soul almost leaving his body.  
"Remember what we talked about, ok? We're going for an A-."  
Peter managed to breathe in and force out a response "What do I get if I get an A-?  
The tutor grinned and squeezed his shoulder. "You'll have to wait and see!"  
In all honesty, he had yet to think of a reward.  
Michael took his hand off his shoulder, just barely grazing his fingers down his arm as Peter stepped past him into the classroom.  
Jesus Christ, his shoulders have muscles.  
He entered the classroom in a very mild daze.  
How is he real.

Mr. Calvin distributed the tests, reminding them of the rules of cheating, and instructions for when the test was completed.  
Michael took the stack of papers and turned to hand them back. Peter took the stack, and when he turned back in his desk, Michael gave him an encouraging smile.  
"Good luck!" He whispered.  
Peter smiled back at him and picked up his pencil.

Unit 9 Review  
Chinese Dynasty

Peter liked this. He was gonna do ok.

The tests went back to the teacher for the dreaded grading. Since it was Friday, they wouldn't get the scores till Monday. Which meant Peter was gonna spend his weekend waiting, waiting, and waiting.  
Waiting to see his score, waiting to see what Michael reward for him was if he got A-.  
Waiting to see Michael.  
He could feel his face warming and heartbeat speeding up at the thought of his tutor. His face had been doing that a lot lately. MJ had caught on and made a point of teasing him every time Michael wasn't present. Luckily for him, Michael either didn't notice how flustered he was, or just had the heart to not mention it.  
He sighed and fiddled with the zipper on his ballet bag.  
His phone vibrated in the front pocket. He pulled it out to see a message from Michael on the screen.

Message from Michael ❤️

I'm sure you did good on the test, I have faith in you!

Peter absolutely did NOT add the heart emoji to Michael's contact name. A certain meddler added it. He just didn't remove it. He actually kind of liked it.  
Oh God, do I like him?!

Michael stared down at his phone.  
Was that too forward? Was it gonna scare him off? He he turned it off and smacked it face down on his nightstand, flopping back on his bed, feeling breathless. What was he gonna reward Peter? Maybe take him out for fro yo? Take him to see a movie?  
NO THOSE SOUND LIKE DATES.  
He facepalmed with both hands, and dragged them down his face with a deep sigh. His phone buzzed. He clumsily grabbed for it, and looked at the notification.  
New message from Peter 😘

Thanks, I really appreciate your help!

He dropped his phone, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.  
He thought back to lunch earlier that day when they were sitting together, legs touching while Ned rambled about his new Star Wars Legos-  
WAIT  
He bolted upright as the idea struck him.  
THAT'S IT  
He jumped up and made his best attempt at a mad dash for the door.  
He decided that even if Peter didn't get an A-, he'd give it to him anyhow. 

It was Monday. And it was time for World History. They strolled in comfortable, yet slightly anxious silence in anticipation of the test results, both Michael and Peter deep into thought.  
Peter was worrying about his score, what ifs running through his mind a mile a minute.  
What if I didn't get the A? What if he's disappointed in me? What if he doesn't want to tutor me anymore?  
Michael was thinking very nearly the same things.  
What if he doesn't get an A-? What if he loses faith in me? What if he asks MJ to tutor him instead?  
Little to both of their knowledge, MJ would never allow that.  
They sat in their desks as the bell rang, and Mr. Calvin sorted out out the graded tests.  
"Alright kids, we had good results this week. Dare I say, better than usual overall."  
Peter didn't dare let that get his hopes up. He bit his lip and stared down at his desk, quietly drumming his fingers.  
Mr. Calvin courteously decided to hand out each individual test to each individual student in alphabetic order, praising the students that got good grades, and gently encouraging the students that got less good grades.  
Peter was almost certain he was going to die of old age.  
"Here you go Mr. Parker"  
He jolted from his zoned out state, and accepted the test.  
"Keep up the good work."  
He looked down at the paper, preparing himself for another B+, but what he saw smacked him in the face.  
Emblazoned across the top of his paper, was an A+.

While the students poured out of the classroom, Michael grabbed Peter by the hand. Peter was so excited about his grade that he barely noticed Michael's strong warm hand gently holding his own.  
He led him down the hallway to a spot safe from traffic, and turned to face him. Without letting go of the hand.  
That's when it hit him.  
Oh my God, he's holding my hand.  
By the time they reached the safe spot, his face was feeling hot and he knew he was turning bright red, but he couldn't think to be embarrassed.  
"So what did you get?!"  
Peter realized that Michael was asking about the test. With trembling hands, he held up the paper, a big red A+ in all its glory.  
Peter wasn't quite sure what his tutor said in his excitement. Michael had let go of his hand, but he didn't have time to be disappointed at the lack of contact.  
Because Michael had thrown his arms around him.  
His brain shut down, unable to process a coherent thought, but his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around the taller boy. Michael was too busy spouting praises, telling how proud he was to notice Peter had become nearly catatonic in his arms. When his brain finally managed to brain correctly, there was only one thing he could think of.  
He smells really nice.  
When Michael pulled back, he didn't let go completely. Instead, he settled one hand on Peter's back, and the other on his shoulder. Holding him not too close, but in close proximity.  
"I knew you could do it! We agreed on A- but you blew it out of the water, I'm so proud of you!"  
Peter knew his face was 100% red at this point but he didn't care. All he cared about was Michael's hands holding him and his glowing praise.  
He almost got lost in the moment, but Michael pulled back a little more.  
"I almost forgot your award! Come to my locker"  
And once again, they were hand in hand, this time half jogging to the locker.  
Upon arriving at his locker, Michael let go to reach in and grab a box with a bow on it. "Open it!"  
Granted it was just a bow on a box, it was a lovely bow. Covering most of the box. So Peter gently pulled off the bow to reveal-  
"The Han Solo Cloud City set!"  
Michael beamed at his enthusiasm, but was equally surprised this time, when Peter embrace him, arms over his shoulders.  
Michael processed this, and hugged him back again.  
Their soft moment was interrupted by the warning bell, reminding them to get to the next class.  
They both reluctantly released the other to go to their respective classes.  
"See you tomorrow?" Michael added.  
Peter beamed. "Of course!"  
And they turned in opposite directions, but Peter looked back. Blushing lightly, he hugged the box to his chest and sighed.  
I really think I like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for feedback! Send me and ask on my Tumblr!


	4. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and get y'all juice

Back at home, in his room with Ned, Peter sat on his bed and looked at the box in his hands. He took a moment to gaze at the illustration on the front, treasuring this gift from his tutor, before tearing it open and dumping out the contents.

He pulled the instructions out of the pile and unfolded them, sorting the pre-categorized Legos.

"I've never seen you so pumped to assemble a Lego set, and frankly I'm a little offended. I had a whole  _ Death Star _ bro."

Peter paid him no mind, opening the pack containing the base of the Cloud City before giving his best friend a cheeky grin.

"I don't know man, you never tutored me in world history."

"Dude!"

Peter snickered, and began sticking pieces together. 

"Well if that's the case, I think you have a thing for tutors."

The boy assembling the Legos paused, a single Lego piece halfway into position. Ned continued without noticing Peter's face.

"Oh my God, is this a kink for you?!"

"Shut up right now."

Ned chortled at him, and adopted a high pitched mocking tone."Oh Michael!  _ Tutor  _ me, I  _ beg  _ you!"

The dramatic impersonation ended when a pillow was slammed over his face.

"Keep talking and I web it to your face. It lasts for two hours."

Ned relinquished, and was freed from the pillow.

Peter continued with the next section of the base. He stuck the pieces together, and did not imagine Michael….. _ tutoring  _ him.

  
  
  


Across the city, the tutor himself looked at his physics homework. He wished he had actually bothered to ask Peter for help, but it had not occurred to him. He was too excited to help Peter with History.

Peter.

Peter.

Peter.

_ Stop it. _

He clunked his head down on his desk and ran his fingers through his hair. His phone buzzed with a text.

It was from Peter.

**_Message from Peter😘_ **

_ I finished it! _

_ [Image attachment] _

Michael opened the message to reveal a picture of the completed Cloud City with an unenthused Ned in the background.

He laughed and typed out a message back.

**_Message to Peter😘_ **

_ You did great! Why is Ned Sad? _

He hit send. Almost immediately, the typing bubble appeared. And disappeared. And then reappeared. It's ok, he had time.

It finally stopped when another message came in.

**_Message from Peter😘_ **

_ I think he's just jealous because you're not my tutor and not his _

Michael, unprepared for  _ that,  _ choked and had to put down his phone. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took deep breaths to calm himself down.

After steadying his gay heart, he picked the phone back up to try and compose a response.

  
  
  


Peter was sitting on the floor next to his bed, almost wishing he had not sent that text. He knew where his luck was gonna take this. Michael wasn't gonna return his feelings, think he was weird, and stop tutoring him. Which meant Michael probably wouldn't have a reason to talk to him.

Peter felt his blood run cold at the idea of Michael not talking to him.

His phone buzzed.

In his spazz to open it, he nearly threw it at Ned, who shrieked and slapped the air in an attempt to deflect it.

He clicked on the message and it said-

**_Message from Michael❤️_ **

_ It wouldn't be the same if it weren't you 😉 _

Shit. Holy shit oh God.

"Dude, are you gonna start convulsing? I don't know what to do in case of crush induced seizure."

Peter was too busy hyperventilating to acknowledge his best friend snarking at him. He didn't dare hope Michael feel the same way about him, but this did make him feel so much better.

  
  


In another nook of Queens, the captain of the AcaDec team had decided to reward her little victory with bubble tea. It was only right that she take most of the credit! If she hadn't nudged them together like that, they wouldn't have even made actual eye contact. But they'd come so far since Michael's first day. They'd gone from longing gazes, to leg nudges, hugging, and…well, there were still longing gazes. But there was also so much more. MJ had spotted them in the hallway earlier that day. She had watched Michael take Peter's hand, and then she watched him glomp Peter when he revealed the A+. She had gone to her next class, and the triumph carried her up to now. She anticipated it being a lot harder. Like, afraid there wouldn't be mutual feelings hard. She was afraid of Peter's heart being broken. MJ pretended not to care  _ sometimes, _ but she did in fact care. And the idea of Peter's heart breaking damn near broke her own.

But that idea was now a far away concept. She is still observant, probably the most observant person any of them knew. And she knew very well they already liked each other.

She sipped her tea as she walked home, a spring in her step, and a new plot in her head. They had been alone plenty of times, gotten to know each other, and broken the physical contact barrier. The gears in her head turned, and she grinned. She turned the key in her front door and went inside. To her excitement, no one else was home yet.

_ Hell yeah. _

That meant absolute silence to make plans. She went to her room to grab her AcaDec things and sat in the living room to do her thing. No parents and no sister at home meant she wouldn't be interrupted while she plotted and conspired. She opened up the competition schedule and- Oh, that's right! There was a competition real soon. Even though she was the team captain, the teacher was always the one to announce competitions, but he did tell her before everyone else. This granted her an opportunity to pull Peter and Michael even closer together. The tutoring thing was a great idea and she didn't even have to suggest it to them. A competition meant going out of town overnight. She could pull strings and assign them both on the panel to answer questions.

MJ studied for the competition while she connived. She had an idea, but that depended on whether or not the hotel had a pool. And if Peter didn't disappear like last time.

  
  


"Alright people, listen up. We have another competition next week."

There were groans of inconvenience and gasps of excitement around the room, with a hint of uneasiness. They won the last time by the skin of their teeth. They were confident, but they didn't have Liz anymore.

"Now, if there's a subject you need more help with, do that right now. From now on till the competition, the first half of practice time will be one on one with someone who is stronger at a subject you are not, and the second half will be as a group." Mr. Harrington started sorting papers to hand out, and Michael and Peter shared a look. At this point, they had a look for when a teacher said to partner up.

"Bro, you never partner with me anymore" Ned whispered.

Peter started pulling out his History papers and gave Ned a sorry not sorry look. "Sorry my guy, you need help with history too."

Ned was almost shocked at the audacity, until he had a devious idea.

"Why don't I ask...  _ Michael  _ to tutor me? Hmm?"

The look on Peter's face was all the reaction he could ask for.

"Wait, lemme guess. 'Not my man you bitch!'?"

" _ Ned!" _

Peter thanked his lucky stars Michael had forgotten to get his notebook and went to get it. If he heard this it would be all over.

Ned was snickering, albeit not too loud because people were splitting into their small groups. "Peter, calm down, I'm not stealing your man-" he couldn't finish his taunt because Peter had snatched Ned's pencil and chucked it right at his face. The assailing pencil hit him dead in the forehead.

"Alright I'm back, sorry about that." Michael returned before any more pencils were thrown and smacked his notebook down on the table.

"You ready for this?"

"Of course Michael!" Peter chirped innocently, as if he hadn't just thrown a pencil at his best friend. Ned would swear till his dying day that Peter  _ batted his eyelashes _ at his tutor.

Peter and Michael settled in their usual spots, pulling out flashcards. Michael remembered his small crisis from the previous day.

_ Ask him to help with your physics you idiot, if you mess up at the competition, Peter will never forgive you. _

"Alright, you ready?"

Michael was pulled out of his mini nightmare of disappointing Peter by Peter himself, big doe eyes inquiring.

_ Wow. He has beautiful eyes. _

"Michael?"

The boy in question was gently brought out of his reverie by a hand gently touching his shoulder. Not shaking him, but getting his attention. Bringing him back down to Earth.

"You alright?"

Michael responded, finally alert. "Yeah, I've just never been to a competition before."

Peter tilted his head in a comforting gesture. "I'm sure you'll do great. It seems like you're already the strongest we have in history. You'll do great."

Michael took a deep breath. "I think you should help me with my physics."

Peter's eyes widened. "Oh, I can do that! No problem." He opened his physics folder, on top of the history folder. "Where do you want to start?"

"Acceleration of mass."

Peter beamed. "Oh I like that, it's not really hard. Let's start with a formula."

At the other table, MJ and Ned did their own thing while simultaneously eavesdropping.

"Looks like Peter's the tutor now." MJ noted. Ned remembered his tutor joke from yesterday and had to contain himself cracking up.

MJ noticed his pent up laughter.

"What's so funny, Nerd?"

Ned continued to snort in a failed attempt to stop laughing and buried his face in his hands.

"Yesterday I was on his case because he was building the set Michael gave him and I might have implied he that he has a "tutor" kink."

MJ's jaw dropped and she choked while trying to conceal her own laughter. "Is this role reversal?"

Ned was barely even trying to stop now, he could almost feel his sides coming apart.

Back in his spot, Peter was gracious enough to pretend he couldn't hear them. Maybe he'd remind Ned that he had enhanced hearing later.

"...And the formula for that is F = ma. That's acceleration." 

Michael took meticulous notes, not letting a thing slip by. He was a good tutor for Peter, now he wanted to be a good student for him.

Their sweet time together was cut nearly too short when Mr. Harrington announced it was time to regroup and practice as a whole.

When Ned sat in his unspoken assigned seat, he gave Peter an expectant look. Instead, Peter sat right next to Michael. What he did not intend to happen was for Michael's hand to practically underneath his own when he sat down. He withdrew his hand in the nick of time, but not before his fingertips gingerly brushed the back of Michael's hand. He shoved his hand in his lap and didn't make eye contact. Once again, his face was getting red. Someone was going to notice. MJ was staring at him with a shit eating look.

_ Please just let this day end. _

  
  
  
  


The bell finally rang, and Michael was free to run away from his problems. Problems being his inability to physics. And MJ and Ned, giggling away in their corner of the library. Michael wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was that had them in stitches. Whatever it was, Peter looked mildly embarrassed.

He pulled his backpack out of his locker and slammed it. Peter hadn't left the library yet, Mr. Harrington had called him back and Peter had told Michael to go ahead, I'll catch up.

He stood and sorted the contents of his backpack, making sure he had his physics assignment and the notes Peter gave them.

"Hey"

Speak of the devil.

IMichael turned to greet him, heart beating like he was having a heart attack.

"Competition is next week. Are you ready?"

Michael's breath hitched trying to force out a response.

"He-hell yeah"

Peter beamed up at him, and Michael was certain his heart would burst right out of his chest.

Peter planted a hand firmly, but gently on Michael's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"I believe in you, and I know you're gonna do great!"

Michael thought he noticed Peter blush, but didn't let himself dwell on it.

"So, see you tomorrow?" Peter chimed. Michael smiled warmly at him. "That I will."

Peter scurried away, and smiled at Michael over his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd of students.

Once again, Michael stood there alone, and he sighed happily. He swung his bag over his shoulder, and headed outside. 

He was going to help them win this.

He was going to help Peter win this.


	5. Chapter 5 (the real chapter 5)

A week and a half flew by and the day to leave for the competition arrived. 

There was some excited buzzing, tinged with uneasiness going around the school. MJ was the first one in the library that afternoon, right behind Mr. Harrington and waited for everyone else to arrive so they could board the bus. The rest of the team members began to steadily trickle in. Some of them looked ready to take on the world. The others appeared almost doubtful. Peter, Ned, and Michael eventually trailed in, the three of them looking like a mix of the two. Peter and Michael exchanged glances every now and then, while Ned picked at his nails, not looking anyone in the eye. They were up against Hamilton High this time, and they had won five consecutive competitions. Midtown was good, but they hadn't won more than twice in a row, including the last one in Washington. They had their work cut out for them. Peter had told Michael about Hamilton High, but spared the details about how often they won. Michael didn't need that on his nerves for his first time. But they had a four hour long bus trip ahead of them. Plenty of time to psyche themselves up, or calm themselves down.

"Ok guys, I'm taking roll and we're leaving in ten minutes. We got four hours of driving. In two hours, we will make a pit stop. Please tell me if you have to make an emergency pit stop, and we will try to do that. If you wish to utilize spare time, please do it so as not to bother anyone else. So if you wanna perform musicals, everyone has to be ok with it."

Everyone chuckled lightly. Quite a few team members were also theater kids.

"But I would appreciate if you took some time to practice."

Peter quickly double checked his backpack to make sure he had everything in there. Study folder, bell, and other school stuff. His carry on was outside by the bus they were taking. He looked up at Michael. Michael was staring straight ahead at Mr. Harrington, unblinking. Peter took his chances. He cautiously reached around Michael, and gave his tense shoulder a comforting squeeze. Almost immediately, his shoulders relaxed. He closed his eyes and breathed steadily. He looked at Peter, reached up, and squeezed his hand.

Peter grinned back, already blushing like mad. He pulled his hand away as soon as Michael let go and trained his eyes back at the front as the teacher called roll.

When he was done he picked up a stack of papers and motioned for everyone to follow

"Alright gang, let's get this show on the road."

  
  


On the bus, everyone sat fairly spaced apart. It was a pretty small group for a whole bus. Michael sat in front of Peter who was in front of Ned. MJ sat across the aisle, in just the right spot to call out questions and take note of either Peter or Michael actually making advances. It had been about half an hour since they left the school, and they were practicing pretty efficiently right now. Peter had called out some answers in history, and Michael called some out for physics. They complimented each other very well. After the first hour and a half, they drifted away from productivity. Napping, listening to music, and quietly conversing amongst themselves ensued. It was gonna be another half hour till they made their scheduled pit stop. Peter was napping, and Michael was looking at his phone, so MJ slid into the seat next to him.

"You've been doing real good with your physics" She told him.

He glanced at her, but then looked away again, but she could see him smiling.

She took a breath and bit the bullet. "I can tell you like Peter."

His smile dropped and he didn't move. Was this gonna be a new song and dance? MJ hadn't hassled him about Peter at all before, but it appeared she was on some new bullshit.

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

"I dunno, will you follow?"

Michael sighed again and dropped his phone in his lap. He felt like all he could do was sigh.

MJ kept talking. "Look, I don't want to be  _ too  _ pushy, or nosy, but hear me out."

Michael didn't respond, so she took the incentive to continue. "I know Peter pretty well. I won't tell you how I think he feels about you, that's his business. But I think you could get somewhere by telling him how you feel about him."

Michael still didn't say anything, but he had turned his head in her direction.

"Peter is super sweet, surely you know that. So if he didn't return your feelings, he wouldn't be inconsiderate about it. And he wouldn't push you away, or not want to be friends anymore. He handles things like that pretty well if you ask me."

MJ was almost exaggerating a little bit, but she wasn't lying.

Michael decided to interject. "So, worst case scenario, I get graciously turned down?"

"Nope. Worst case scenario, he fake dates Ned to make you jealous, ends up falling in love with him, and you'll be sitting here wishing you had made a move a lot sooner." She gave him a pointed look and Michael turned the concept around in his head. MJ was a devout bookworm for both canon and fanon, she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"So if that's the worst case scenario, what's the best case scenario?"

MJ set a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Best case scenario, he returns your feelings, you start dating, and live happily ever after. Trust me."

Michael blushed at the words "start dating", but said nothing.

" I'm just saying this because I don't want to see either of you get hurt. I know for a fact that Peter fake dating Ned would most likely hurt both of you. You know to respect boundaries, right?"

Michael nodded. Of course his parents taught him better.

"Yeah. And Peter would take this as you don't really like him, realize he's in love with Ned, so on and so forth."

The boy in the seat next to her looked down at the floor solemnly, silently agreeing with MJ. She made very compelling point.

"Your best bet is to just confess. He might not like you back. But you know something? No matter what, you'll have closure. You'll be able to move on peacefully. Unless of course, he does like you back. Then hooty hoo, you have a boyfriend."

Michael choked on air.

"So think about it. But don't cloud your head about it too much, we have a competition tomorrow."

And with those parting words, she slid back into her seat. They were turning into their bathroom stop, a gas station off the highway. Michael turned around in his seat to check on Peter, who was still fast asleep.

_ He's so cute. _

He should wake him up. It was kind of weird to watch people sleep anyway.

He reached down and gently tapped the top of Peter's head.

_ His hair is so soft! _

He stopped himself and instead, gave his shoulder a gentle jostle.

"Peter, wake up."

The sleeping boy slowly opened his eyes, and smiled up at Michael.

"We're at the stop."

Peter yawned "Ok"

  
  


Fifteen minutes later they were back on the road with snacks and coffee. MJ sipped a caramel macchiato and thought about her talk with Michael. She should probably have a talk with Peter too. She'd probably have to do that later because Michael had a latte so it didn't seem like he would sleep now. She looked back at the boys, who were sharing a bag of M&Ms. This time, Ned was napping on his backpack. MJ bet he wasn't gonna be able to sleep long. It was always the second half of the trip that people got rambunctious.

A couple seats behind her, Peter and Michael chatted about Peter's first competition whilst passing the M&Ms. They hadn't won that one, Peter said.

"I was devastated. I had really bad dysphoria that day, and I was convinced it was my fault."

Michael leaned closer to him. 

"I'm sorry you felt that way."

Peter half smiled. "I learned to not blame myself for it. Besides, I only gave right answers. The other school just gave more right answers."

Michael chuckled, but it was more of a forced exhale through the nose.

They rode in comfortable silence for a short while. Someone had been quietly singing in the back for a while, and Peter was trying to name the tune when-

"CAUSE EVERY NIGHT I LIE IN BED, THE BRIGHTEST COLORS FILL MY HEAD-"

"A MILLION DREAMS ARE KEEPING ME AWAAAAAAAKE-"

Peter whirled around so fast it almost gave both him and Michael whiplash.

He was bouncing excitedly, listening to everyone almost hollering the lyrics.

He turned back on Michael and exclaimed "I love this movie!" before turning back and joining in. Michael took a mental note of this

This went on for almost the rest of the two hours. In that time, they got all the way through the Greatest Showman, Let it Go, Country Roads, and a good chunk of Hamilton before they made it to the hotel. They were half way through "Take A Break", MJ and Peter as Angelica and Eliza (Michael improvised as Alexander, much to MJ's delight), when Mr. Harrington finally interrupted.

"Ok, you all have wonderful voices but it's time to gather your stuff, we're getting off soon."

There was a rustle of several students gathering their belongings before the teacher started talking again.

"I encourage you to study before bed tonight, get in a good mindset, and get a good night's sleep. Lights out at 11, you can do as you please before then."

He passed around a sheet with the rooming arrangements and they all got off the bus and trooped into the hotel.

MJ caught Peter on the way in.

"Did you bring your swim trunks?"

Peter looked confused for half a second. "Oh! Yeah actually, I did."

MJ patted him on the back. "Alright! Put them on and meet me by the pool." The first phase of her second plan was in action.

  
  
  


MJ snagged Michael in the hallway on her way to the pool.

_ Perfect. _

"Hey Michael!"

The boy stopped in his tracks to face her. "Yeah?"

"Do you like swimming?"

MJ noticed him falter a little bit at the question and tried to save her chance. "You don't have to swim. I'm not swimming either, I'm just gonna hang out next to the pool. You wanna come?"

Michael brightened back up again. "Yeah, I'll do that! Are you heading there now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They entered the pool area. MJ surveyed the scene, took count of heads, and- oh! Peter's in the pool!

With his shirt off.

_ The universe has aligned in my favor! _

MJ grabbed a lounge chair at the pool side. Michael joined her. It was obvious he hadn't noticed Peter yet.

_ Now's my time. _

"Hey Peter!"

Just now, Michael took notice of Peter's presence, and also realized he was shirtless. MJ watched his face turn red and smirked.

She turned and called out over the water again. "Peter, come here!"

Peter swam a few short feet to the ladder and climbed out.

It was one hell of a sight to behold.

MJ could tell what Michael was thinking.

_ Fuck. Fuck. Oh fuck. _

It showed on his face.

Peter strolled up to them like he didn't just rise from the water like Poseidon, water dripping down his magnificent abs, running a hand through his wet mop of ringlets.

Michael had to cross his legs.

"What's good Peter?"

The actual water god in front of them took a seat at the end of Michael's lounge chair. "Nothing much, the water's fine"

"I sure hope so"

They conversed a little while longer, until Peter was called back into the water for chicken fights. He jumped back in, and Michael watched him heft Betty Brant on to his shoulders like she weighed nothing.

_ God I wish that were me. _


	6. I Can't Stop This Feeling Anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a long chapter. A lot happens. Prepare yourself.

Students in the pool started getting tired, and began to dwindle until they were all gone and in bed.

Minus two.

Michael and Peter sat together on a lounge chair, talking about nothing and everything. MJ left when she knew they would be the only ones remaining. Peter was wrapped in a towel Michael had given him. He mostly gave him the towel because if Peter had sat there, abs shimmering from quickly evaporating water, Michael would have bled to death from his nose. It was an act of self preservation as well as a gentlemanly gesture. There was a lull in their soul baring conversation.

"Do you know how to swim?"

Michael would be lying if he said he saw that coming. He exhaled lethargically.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you?"

Michael trusted peter, and wanted Peter to trust him. So he set his left leg up on the chair across from them and pulled up his pant leg to reveal-

"A prosthetic?"

Michael nodded somberly and rapped the false leg with his knuckles. "I had osteosarcoma."

Peter's brow furrowed in empathy and gathered the guts to ask. "What's that?"

The mood darkened and the sound of the pool filter was almost deafening. Peter immediately regretted asking.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Michael shook his head, interrupting Peter's panicked ramble. "No it's ok. Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer."

Peter was about to say something else, but Michael spoke first. "I was a figure skater. Before I lost my leg." Peter almost pitied him, but corrected himself. He knew from other experiences that pity was just condescending. Instead, he asked "Are you cured?"

Michael smiled, genuinely this time. "I've been in complete remission for three years now, so if I'm still cancer free when we graduate, I'll be officially cured!" He bounced in excitement a little, grinning ear to ear. Peter smiled too, not sure what to say next. It was almost 11, and neither of them wanted to be exhausted tomorrow.

"We should probably go to bed."

"Yeah."

They rode the elevator up together, shoulders nearly touching. The elevator was pretty spacious, but they still stuck together.

Peter was in a room with Ned again, and Michael was with Abe, just down the hall.

They were at the end of the hallway, and the silence was feeling a little awkward. "Do you feel like you're ready? For the competition?" Michael piped up. Peter didn't respond immediately, but Michael could see the internal battle with himself on his face. Finally, he answered. "To be honest, I don't know."

They stopped in front of Peter's room, and stood there while he fiddled with the key card to open it.

Michael didn't know what to say but he couldn't not say anything.

"Hey"

Peter paused with the door partially open, beautiful brown eyes looking up. Michael found himself at a loss for words.

_ Say something moron! _

"Don't panic, ok? I'm sure you've got this."

_ Not bad. _

Peter quirked his mouth in a half smile, effectively drawing the other boy's almost full attention to his lips. "Alright. Good night Michael."

"Good night."

And just like that, he gently closed the door, leaving Michael in the hallway.

He leaned against the wall, all sorts of new thoughts running through his head.

_ I really wanna kiss him. _

  
  


The next morning brought groggy teenagers, rustling papers, and anxiety. MJ, Ned, Peter and Michael all sat together, eating quietly and sipping coffee. They had been advised not to drink coffee, but it was the only thing that was gonna keep them alert. After breakfast, they gathered their academic supplies and boarded the bus.

Ned plunked into a spot next to Peter. "You ready?"

Peter downed the last of some coffee laden with french vanilla creamer and slapped his textbook open. "Aunt May didn't raise no bitch, it's time to gain this grain. How about you Michael?"

Michael finger gunned from the seat in front of them. "Midtown for the win my dudes. How about you MJ?"

MJ opened her book as well, a steely look on her face. "Let's kick us some wholesale ass."

It was only ten minutes to Hamilton Junior/Senior High so they rode in silence, meticulously memorizing every question and answer their brains could hold. They pulled up to the school building, and everyone clambered out. Mr. Harrington took roll again while they sized up the building. It was extremely basic looking. They filed inside and were directed to the backstage. Once backstage, they caught a glimpse of the Hamilton team.

MJ didn't normally judge based on looks, but they also looked pretty basic.

"They look like the bullies from a high school movie written by Boomers" Ned snarked.

Peter covered up his laugh with a cough, and Michael suppressed his snickering. MJ didn't believe in looking down on opponents, but unfortunately, it was a little true. Most of them were blonde, and one of the few girls on the team had her mouth turned up in a perpetual smirk. Peter listened closely, and even their voices were snobby.

He leaned towards Michael and whispered "I already can't stand them."

Michael giggled. "Avoid eye contact. Do you have a crucifix?"

Peter had to turn away to laugh so the other team wouldn't think he was laughing at them. Well he was, but they didn't need to know.

A voice came over the PA.

**"Competitors, please leave cellular devices in the designated bin in the backstage, and make your way to the stage entrance."**

The group all exchanged uneasy glances before depositing their phones into the bin, and marching to the entrance of the stage. In an effort to calm himself down, Peter played the Imperial March in his head. It was super effective.

**"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, the Academic Decathlon semi-monthly tournament."**

The audience cheered like it was a knowledge Superbowl. Peter could feel the adrenaline pounding in his brain. The announcer spoke up again.

**"We are proud to introduce our five time Decathlon champions, our home team, Hamilton High."**

The Hamilton team stepped out onto the stage, waving to the audience. They looked pretty pretentious. The audience roared, and they took their seats at the desks.

"They think they're tough shit, don't they" Ned griped. 

"Looking down on competition is bad for morale" MJ chastised, but she was thinking the same thing.

**"And now, our competitors, from Queens, New York, Midtown High."**

The team came up to the stage, and the audience clapped. It became clear who they favored. They sat down in front of their buzzers. Between the opposing teams, the trophy sat on a pedestal. Their attention was grabbed by a middle aged white woman with an "I'd like to speak to your manager" haircut clearing her throat. 

It was time.

"Welcome everybody, I am Principal Wallace of Hamilton High, and I am so excited to be here. We have two extremely intelligent teams here today, and they will be competing for this lovely trophy you see here now."

Out of the corner of her eye, MJ could see the other team grimacing at them. Principal Wallace continued her tirade.

"The rules are the same, I hope you all know them." She gave a pointed look to the students behind her, but it was mostly directed at Midtown. MJ was tempted to throw hands.

"I will be calling the questions today. They will be in no chronological order. Before you call out the answer you feel correct, you must hit the buzzer, or it will be invalid. First team to call the right answer earns the point."

Michael didn't look over at the other team. He was certain they were making snide faces.

"The competition will now begin. Your first question-"

Everyone waited with bated breath.

"Who received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the neutron?"

Michael slammed the buzzer "James Chadwick!"

"Correct."

The Hamilton team looked at him, astonished. They began to whisper amongst themselves.

Peter grinned at him, and that warm feeling took over Michael's chest again.

The next question came.

"Name one of the founders of the quantum mechanics field."

It was quiet for almost a whole second, and a buzzer sounded. It was not Midtown.

"Niels Bohr."

Wallace smiled. "Correct!"

Michael wilted, but Peter didn't.

"Who is the third president of the United States?"

Peter hit the buzzer. "Thomas Jefferson!"

Principal Wallace checked her score sheet. "Correct."

Michael nearly jumped for joy in his seat, but didn't have time to praise Peter before the next question.

"Who was the first Windsor monarch of the UK?"

This time, MJ hit the buzzer. "George V."

Principal Wallace almost looked offended, but she gave a regretful "Correct."

The questions came and they kept coming. They gradually got more complicated. The competition went on for hours. And eventually, the two schools were almost tied. They were in the final round of questions, the one to determine the winner.

The principal called out "Which metal is naturally antibacterial?"

The Hamilton team buzzed first. "Copper!"

Wallace looked proud, like they were trophy dogs she had trained and groomed to perform. "Correct!"

Hamilton was officially tied to Midtown. 

"There is one question left. The first to buzz and answer correctly will win the competition, and bring home the trophy."

Not a single person made a noise. No one even breathed too loud.

The silence was broken by the caller.

"What is the densest known stable element on Earth?"

The approximate two seconds of absolute quiet seemed to stretch for hours, as if the world was standing still, waiting for-

A hand slammed on the buzzer, and the whole crowd flinched.

It was Peter's hand. He leaned to the microphone, hours of study apparent on his face, and stated "Osmium."

Principal Wallace looked down at her score sheet again. She appeared slightly dismayed, but raised her voice nonetheless, and announced "Correct. Midtown wins."

It was chaos. The audience screamed, a few members of the Hamilton team laid their heads on the table in defeat.

The Midtown team was jumping out of their chairs, running into each other's arms, shrieking in joy.

Peter pulled Michael out of his seat and hugged him. He buried his face in his neck, and held on for dear life. Michael's heart was beating so hard he was almost afraid Peter could hear it, and his face was burning hot enough to melt steel. He didn't care. They were surrounded by people shouting for joy. He embraced Peter, one arm holding him close, his other hand on Peter's head, running his fingers through his hair in an endearing gesture. It felt like they were holding on forever, a forever Michael would happily stay in when Peter finally pulled back, eyes red and wet.

Michael reached up to wipe his tears with both hands, and tenderly held Peter's face. He leaned his forehead against Peter's.

"We won!" He exclaimed breathlessly.

Michael laughed, despite feeling like there was no oxygen, and pulled Peter back into his arms.

They had indeed won.

  
  


Mr. Harrington accepted the trophy, and the Hamilton team more or less stormed away, to more or less never be seen again.

MJ was celebrating with her teammates. She had hugged Ned, and was chattering excitedly with Betty and Ned.

_ Where's Peter and Michael? _

She scanned her group for the boys, and found them.

Holding hands.

_ Holding hands! _

MJ stopped breathing, and she assessed the situation.

Michael was holding both of Peter's hands in his, probably telling him how proud he was. Peter's face was flushed, like all the blood had gone to his head, and he was looking down. Michael let go of his hands and pulled him back into his arms.

MJ flailed and smacked Ned on the arm.

"Ow! What the -"

MJ grabbed his head and turned his line of sight towards the two boys.

"Oh...my…"

MJ let out a breath. Her plan was so close to done. She knew exactly what to do next.

  
  


Back at the hotel, they were at the poolside again. The trophy was sitting on a plastic lawn chair, away from the splashing range of gleeful students. MJ was sitting next to it, watching Michael and Peter talk. Not stalking, observing. She just had to find a way to get them alone together. Her observing was disturbed by Ned approaching her and sitting by her.

"Are you trying to telepathically get them to hook up?"

"No. I'm waiting."

Ned gestured vaguely. "For what?"

"The right moment. Send them on some sort of goose chase, or something. Whatever ends with them being alone together." She stated curtly. Ned raised his eyebrows "Ok….?"

MJ let out the longest deep sigh ever and turned to the boy next to her. "Ned, you don't understand. For the past six weeks, ever since Michael came here, everything I have done, was to get them together. It's obvious to you, isn't it?"

Ned nodded, wide eyed and not willing to interrupt. MJ continued her tirade.

"Exactly! Everyone knows except them! And any miniscule mistakes could mean FAILURE Ned. FAILURE."

Ned agreed silently.

"The past month and a half of my life have led up to this. I will not risk any chances." She ended her rant with a deep breath (raving deprives you of oxygen) and turned back to where they were sitting-

They weren't there.

"WHERE ARE THEY?"

  
  


The two boys in question had decided to go somewhere else at Michael's suggestion. Somewhere quiet and secluded. MJ's words from the bus ride were running through his head.

_ 'No matter what, you'll have closure.' _

_ I have to do this. _

"Let's go to my room. I don't think Abe will be back anytime soon."

Peter acquiesced, and followed him. "They'll party till they drop dead. Trust me, I've seen it."

"Must be exciting."

Peter giggled softly.

They finally got into the room, and Peter tentatively sat down on one of the beds, and Michael joined him. After sitting for a split second, he got back up and paced at the foot of the bed. Peter stood up "Michael? What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything. He breathed heavily and ran his hands through his hair.

His pacing was halted by a soft hand, gently tugging on his elbow. "Michael, talk to me. Please?"

He dragged his hands down his face before releasing a heavy sigh, and sitting in the bed with Peter once again.

_ I have to tell him. _

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

MJ's words rang in his head again.

_ 'If he didn't return your feelings, he wouldn't be inconsiderate about it' _

Michael adored that about Peter.

_ It might as well be now or never. _

"I like you."

The silence between them was deafening.

"W-what?"

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and hyperventilated a little bit as well as gesticulating before he managed to get more words out. "Peter, I  _ like  _ you. I adore your sensitivity, your sense of humor, your passion for the things you love. I-I think…" he had to stop and breathe some more "You're so caring and selfless and smart-" His ramble ended when his breath truly ran out and he had to keep breathing. He was quieted by a hand, Peter's hand, gently grasping his own, and interlacing their fingers. Peter didn't look him in the eye at first, but then he did. His face was pink, and if Michael touched his face, it would be warm. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again, actually producing sound this time. "I like you too, I just… I'm not good with words."

Michael exhaled heavily, staring into Peter's very soul.

"You don't have to be."

Peter inhaled sharply. Michael leaned in. But he only leaned in part way, giving Peter the option to back out.

Or meet him in the middle

So Peter leaned in. He leaned in the rest of the way, and their lips met in the middle.

_ Oh my _

Michael had placed a finger underneath Peter's chin, and his hand moved to cup his cheek.

They separated, gazing into each other's eyes.

_ Fuck _

Michael didn't have time to react, because Peter was pulling him back in, practically smashing their mouths together. He had shifted so his full body was facing Michael, so Michael wrapped his arms around Peter's waist and pulled him flush against his torso.

Their mouths moved with one another in messy harmony, not a care in the world, just each other, and the sound of their heartbeats synchronizing.

They did break for air eventually, hair messed up, faces red and panting. Neither boy said a thing. Peter's breath steadied, and he laid his head on Michael's collarbone.

Michael did speak eventually.

"I don't know what to say."

Peter quietly laughed. "Then don't say anything."

And they didn't. They enjoyed each other's presence in peace, occasionally stealing kisses and whispering sweet nothings.


	7. Chapter 7

MJ was tempted to go hunting for them, but reconsidered. They're alone anyway, which is probably better than what she had in mind. If she sent them off with a poor excuse, it would look suspicious, but they had gone off on their own. Together.

_ That's probably more suspicious. Maybe I should go check on them anyway? _

She contemplated this, but stopped when another thought struck her.

_ What if one of them's confessing?! I can't interrupt that! _

Any ideas involving going after the boys was dashed to pieces in hopes that one or both of them was coming clean.

"Kids, pizza's here." Mr. Harrington called.

All the students in the water made a mad dash for the pizza, and MJ strolled behind, wondering if this meant her plan was complete.

_ Mission accomplished? I didn't even get to act on my last idea. Or Plan B. _

MJ paused right next to the pizza table, plate in hand.

_ Is my only hobby playing matchmaker? _

It was right then Ned approached her. "Did you go after them?"

MJ didn't face him, and reached for some meat lovers pizza. "I figured this was best. If we're lucky, one or both of them has made their feelings known, and no further action will be required."

Ned squinted in confusion. "What if it's one sided?"

MJ smirked at him. "I'm pretty sure the feelings are mutual Ned."

She wouldn't tell him this, but she was only 97.9% sure it was mutual. But those were still pretty good odds. She chomped her pizza beyond the splash zone, hopes high, but not too high. Light pessimism made for a cushier landing in the case of disappointment.

Ned sat next to her. "Maybe I should message Peter and tell him there's pizza."

"WAIT NO"

"What?!"

MJ looked at him, an almost manic look in her eyes. "They could be on the VERGE of confessing, and a text would bring everything to a halt! It could kill the mood Ned! THE MOOD."

Ned didn't dare question her. He set the phone face down on the chair beside him, and slowly raised both hands in defense.

MJ breathed easier not knowing of any interruptions, but in her distress, hadn't noticed a certain pair walking in, swiping pizza and walking out again. They would have held hands, but they were occupied by pizza. Ned watched the whole thing over MJ's shoulder while she was going off on him, but didn't dare tell her. His options in that scenario would include and be limited to get killed, or not be believed. Or both, both would be ok for MJ.

  
  


Later that night Ned was back in his room, not doing much. Nearly everyone had gone to bed much earlier than the night before, having been exhausted from the competition. Peter was still somewhere else, probably with Michael, and he had nothing better to do. Maybe he could find out what was going on with Michael. After Peter came back, of course. MJ ripping into him was enough to keep him from investigating. Confession was a very delicate process. He sat and enjoyed the quiet, until he heard voices in the hallway. He listed closely, and it was Peter. And Michael. They stood outside the door talking, and Ned was tempted to go eavesdrop. He decided against it, because he was certain Peter would hear him through the door. They talked for what seemed like hours, but it was really just a few minutes. There was a pause, neither of them said anything and Ned wondered if they had walked away. But then the door opened a crack, and he heard them bidding each other good night before Peter came all the way in and closed the door again. He didn't even notice Ned until he was sprawled on his own bed, and looked over at him. "Oh. Hey Nedward."

Said boy scoffed at the nickname, and rolled to face him. "What were you guys talking about out there?"

Peter feigned innocence, but had an obvious smirk on his face. "Nothin."

"I know when you're lying. Was it good?"

Peter sighed, and Ned gaped.

_ BITCH THAT WAS A DREAMY SIGH _

"Peter! Did you tell him how you feel?!? C'mon dude, tell me!"

Peter didn't respond. Instead, he shoved himself under the covers, shoes and all. "Goodnight Ned!"

"Peter!" It was pointless. He probably wouldn't talk unless MJ got her hands on him.

_ This bitch. _

  
  


The next morning, they packed their things to leave for home. They lined up outside for roll call, and MJ began observing. She spotted Peter in the crowd, but made no move to get his attention. That's how lurking works. She watched him get into line, and no sooner than he did, Michael followed suit, standing right next to him. MJ squinted, studying their body language. Their names were called, and MJ observed them lean closer to each other, arms touching from shoulder to wrist. MJ's certainty sprung from 97.9% to 98%. If she had to, she could divulge information from him. She hoped she didn't have to. Maybe he'd accidentally spill the beans. He was good at that. They boarded the bus, and began the four hour journey home. MJ sat next to the trophy, ready to defend it with he life. Although it was unlikely that it would come to that.

Ned sat across the aisle from Peter, and Peter sat next to Michael. Really close to Michael. She saw Ned out of the corner of her eye, and they shared a knowing look.

_ I gotta find out what's going on. _

_ Wait till one of them falls asleep. _

The possibility of them falling asleep went down when someone started belting "Don't Stop Believing" and the two joined in. This typically went on until their two hour pit stop, and after that they got bored. MJ actually hoped they would get to finish Hamilton.

_ Ok, interrogate after finishing Hamilton. _

  
  


Eventually they did get around to Hamilton again. And after the bathroom stop, they got back on, and nearly everyone went to sleep. MJ sat and waited for the right time, occasionally turning in her seat to check and see if one of the boys was asleep yet. Neither Peter or Michael was asleep yet, but Ned was. He normally slept on the bus.

_ I might as well make use of my time. _

She pulled out her phone and opened Tumblr.

She was entrenched in reading about lesbians in WW2 when Ned frantically reached over her seat, patting around to get her attention. 

He obtained the attention when she sat up and turned around, demanding look on her face.

" _ Yes _ , Ned?"

Ned said nothing, he shifted and pointed at Peter and Michael. Michael was awake and on the verge of dozing. Peter was sleeping. Nestled into the other boy's side.

_ 99% Certain? Commence investigation. _

She hastily handed the trophy to Ned. "Guard this with your life" and slid smoothly into the blessed seat in front of them.

Michael looked up at her with a 'can I help you' type face.

MJ took a deep breath, readying herself for what could be a letdown. Boys are incredibly stupid, it was likely.

"Ok, I've been dying to know the truth. Did you confess?"

Michael smiled warmly at her. "Yes, I did."

MJ's breathing sped up. "What did he say!?"

Michael sighed happily, but then smirked at MJ. "You'll have to wait to ask him about that."

MJ's jaw dropped.

_ He's being a little shit, maybe Peter said he likes him too? Why wouldn't he?! _

MJ exhaled heavily, and slumped in the seat, burying her face in her hands. She peeked through her fingers, and saw Ned. He was gesturing at the trophy as if to say 'do you want this?'

MJ gestured back vaguely, meaning 'just keep it'.

It was a long, long ride home.

  
  


They finally arrived at their own school, and Michael gently shook Peter awake.

MJ was certain the loving glances were going to drive her crazy. It was probably going to be worse if they were dating. MJ didn't know the whole truth yet but she was almost beginning to regret trying to get them together. Too bad, it was time to find out what went down.

She more or less grabbed him and dragged him to the spot next to the front entrance stairs behind the wall and cornered him. Nowhere to run.

"Alright Peter, tell me the truth. Where were you and Michael last night, and what were you doing?"

Peter blushed a little, looking down, but he was also smirking. "Nothing."

MJ breathed deeply through her nose.

_ The Lord is testing me. _

She steadied herself, and took some more deep breaths. She continued. "Peter, just tell me. Did you confess to Michael last night? Please tell me."

Peter sighed.

_ Again with the sighing? I'm done. _

"I confessed."

MJ's hands dropped and smacked against her legs in sweet relief.

"We're going out on Saturday."

MJ would deny it to her dying day, but she almost  _ squealed. _

"Are you serious?!? On your own?"

Peter looked confused. "Yeah? How else?"

MJ dragged her hands down her face in relieved exhaustion.

_ Mission accomplished! _

"Finally! I can't believe it!"

Even Peter looked relieved. He did get a big thing off his chest, and was rewarded for it in the end.

"I guess I should thank you." MJ paused, and mulled this over.

"I'll accept it."

Peter ventured a little further. "Don't suppose I could pay you back somehow?"

MJ rolled her eyes good naturedly, setting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Well, should a lesbian ever cross your path, you send her my way. Got it?"

Peter chuckled wholeheartedly. "Will do comrade."

They left the hiding spot, and MJ made her way over to Ned, full grin on her face.

Ned approached her. "So?"

"They both confessed and they're going out on Saturday!"

"Holy shit dude!"

She nodded so hard she thought she would get a concussion, and both of them were almost jumping for joy.

Sweet victory.

  
  


Peter said goodbye to Michael when aunt May pulled in and jumped out to greet him.

"May, we won!" He exclaimed, jumping into her open arms.

"I know! I'm so proud of you!"

She pulled back to tousle his hair. "When we get home, we're celebrating!"

Peter tossed his bag in the back and eagerly jumped into the passenger seat. "Really?!"

"Heck yeah! Now tell me, what were those Hamilton kids were like."

Peter scoffed. "Movie cliché class snobs. And the principal looked like she wanted to speak to the manager."

May snorted and giggled. "After you won, or in general?"

"In general. Haircut and everything." He stated in a shit you not tone. May raised her eyebrows and sighed. "My boss looks like that."

Peter snickered and May asked him another question. "And how about Michael? Did you two hang out a lot?"

She had been bringing up Michael a lot the past few weeks.

"Well…"

May side eyed him, a cheesy grin on her face. It seemed like she wouldn't relent.

"We hung out."

"Aaaaaand…..?"

Peter heaved a deep sigh, now blushing. "W-we hung out."

May patted the steering wheel in excitement. "Tell me everything! Did you tell him how you feel?!"

He managed to stop breathing, just when he was actually trying to say something. Should he tell her?

"Your silence is suspicious!"

She was eyeing him best as she could while driving, and they were almost home. Peter thought about making a run for it as soon as she stopped, but he was too tired to try.

_ I might as well get over it. _

"Well?" She encouraged. Peter sighed again and took the shot.

"I told him how I feel."

He didn't know it was possible for a grown woman to squeal like that. She finally pulled up to the building, but didn't get out. She unbuckled and span around to interrogate him. 

_ Here we go. _

"What did he tell you?! Did he say he liked you back?"

Peter found himself short of breath and still blushing.

_ Just do it. _

"He told me he liked me first and we're going out on Saturday." He blurted.

May bounced in the seat, positively squawking with joy. "Finally! I'm so happy for you Peter! And he said it first!"

She swung open the door and pulled a dazed Peter out on the other side, almost dragging him up the stairs.

"We are celebrating this too!"

Peter let himself be dragged.

_ It went better than I thought it would. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week flew by and it was Saturday. 6:38 P.M. Michael agreed on 6:45. Peter stood up from the swivel chair in his room. And then he sat back down, drifting in circles. He got up and went to the bathroom where he triple checked his hair, not a single strand out of place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally didn't mean to post this on Valentines day. Not at all.

A week flew by and it was Saturday. 6:38 P.M. Michael agreed on 6:45. Peter stood up from the swivel chair in his room. And then he sat back down, drifting in circles. He got up and went to the bathroom where he triple checked his hair, not a single strand out of place. He had spent an hour or so combing it meticulously, worrying if he had used too much coconut oil, or if his perfume was too overbearing, or if his outfit looked dumb. 

MJ and May insisted on helping him pick the burgundy sweater and dark skinny jeans. May said the sweater brought out his eyes. MJ said the jeans brought out his ass. 

_ Thanks a lot MJ. _

He was about to leave the bathroom, when in a moment of inspiration, he grabbed May's mascara and swiped it over his lashes. Yeah that looked nice.

There was a knock at the door.

Peter jumped and bolted to answer it. "May, Michael's here!" He swung open the door, and to his dismay, it was not Michael.

"Oh. It's just you." With great disappointment, he stepped aside to let Mr. Stark in. The man laughed at the boy's face.

"You sound excited" Mr. Stark stated, closing the door behind him. "I could hear you yelling at your aunt."

He paused. "Oh yeah, hold on" Peter turned to yell at his aunt again "Nevermind, it's just Mr. Stark."

May emerged from her room. "Tony! You're just in time!"

_ Tony? Since when are they friends? _

Peter, feeling betrayed all of a sudden, gave his aunt a look. "What do you mean 'on time?'"

May went into the kitchen, offering Tony a cup of coffee. "Well I figured he'd want to meet Michael, so I had him come before Michael did."

Peter shook his head and stuttered. "S-p-since when are you guys friends?!" May handed the coffee to Tony and smirked at him. "Since our Spider man episode!" The scene flashed in his mind. May had dragged the man to hell and back, and then Peter was grounded for a while. But here they are, fraternizing? Tony smiled at the boy "I'm excited too, kid. You make it sound like he hung the stars."

Peter blushed and stuttered some more, but before anyone could make anymore banter, there was another knock at the door.

It was 6:43.

Peter almost skipped to the door, stopping himself and performing a mini grooming check, before opening it.

There stood Michael.

"Hey"

"H-hey"

The taller boy was wearing a navy blue button up and dark jeans, track jacket around his waist. He stepped closer, a bouquet of red tulips in his hands.

"These are for you"

Peter accepted the tulips, hands almost shaking. "Thanks. I'll just-"

Peter was interrupted by his aunt bustling in between them, pulling Michael inside. "Hi Michael, I'm Peter's aunt May! I've heard so much about you!" She shook his hand vigorously while Peter stood by helplessly.

When May was finally done pumping his arm out of its socket, he wormed his way in between them, standing in front of Michael protectively. He was a little dazed by the enthusiastic greeting, and Peter did his best to try and herd him out the door. He almost managed to escape, but May grabbed him again.

_ Shit. _

She pulled him into the living room, and he followed,"There's somebody else you gotta meet!"

_ Double shit _ .

Peter shook himself and tried to intercept before it was too late-

Michael was standing in front of Mr. Stark, eyes the size of bowls.

The man stood up from the couch, and approached him.

"Hi Michael" he took Michael's hand, which was hovering in front of in the air, and gave it a firm shake. "I bet you've heard about me."

Michael's response was less of a response and more of a wheeze. Mr. Stark chuckled at him.

"Peter's told me a lot, he thinks the world of you!"

"Um, th-thanks" he managed to cough out.

"OK, this has been great" Peter interrupted, face bright red "but we really have to be going." 

He began ushering Michael out the door, who followed compliantly. He gently pushed Michael out the door before May snagged him by the collar.

"No! You'll stretch it out!" He protested.

She whirled him around by the shoulders and made him look her in the eye. "I want you back by 8:30 , ok?"

Peter quirked an eyebrow at his aunt. "How about 9:00?"

May narrowed her eyes at him, tipping her head back. "Don't try your luck" she kissed him on top of the head "Have fun!" And with those parting words, she closed the door behind the boys in the hallway. 

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. His attention was regained by Michael taking his hand and leading him down the hallway, and he happily followed.

"So, are you gonna tell me what we're doing tonight?"

They reached the elevator and hit the ground floor button. Michael turned to him with a sly grin on his face.

"Well first, we're getting frozen yogurt. The rest is a surprise!"

Peter groaned impatiently "I hate surprises, tell me now!"

Michael snickered to himself. "Trust me, I think you'll like it." The elevator dinged, signaling the designated floor and both boys left the building, still holding hands.

Tony uncorked a bottle of wine, and poured two glasses, handing one to May before rejoining her on the couch. 

"Did he tell you who confessed first?"

May smirked, swirling the liquid in her glass. "I'm told that Michael spilled his guts first." She took a long sip, and Tony followed suit.

"Well," he started, holding up his glass by the stem, pinky out "Here's to someone having guts."

The woman snorted and clinked her glass against Tony's.

"Cheers."

In a fro-yo joint just a few blocks away, Peter and Michael sat opposite of each other at a small table. Their spot was secluded in a cozy little corner where they chatted comfortably, feet just barely touching. Peter had strawberry frozen yogurt with Oreos. Michael went for raspberry sorbet with gummi bears mixed in. 

They had gotten to the topic of instruments.

"My parents actually tried to make me learn the piano, but I wanted to play saxophone." Michael 

Peter swirled his spoon around. "Did you end up playing piano?"

"Nope" Michael stated proudly. "I've been playing sax since I was nine."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Wow! I actually started playing the violin when I was eight." 

Michael paused, spoon halfway towards his face. "Please tell me you can play Toxic by Britney Spears."

Peter swiped up a clump of Oreos, rolling his eyes. "Duh. Every violinist should know how to play Toxic."

Michael set his now empty cup on the table, smirking.

"I taught myself to play Careless Whisper when I was 13." 

Peter snorted in disbelief. "You did not."

"I did too!" Michael protested.

Peter snickered at the other boy. "Prove it."

"Maybe I will."

They left the yogurt place, Michael leading the way. Peter was quietly vibrating in anticipation of their next destination. The sun was setting, turning the sky pink and purple.

Peter piped up. "So where are we going?"

"Still a surprise. We're almost there!"

_ Is he being serious right now? _

They walked a couple more blocks before stopping in front of a large building. A sign over the double door read " _Queens_ _Ice Arena_ ".

Peter furrowed his brow. "Are we...going to a hockey game?"

Michael gasped dramatically, as if Peter had just implied his family was not honorable.

" _ Hockey!  _ Peter, I would never!" He raved as he pulled him inside, and greeted the receptionist.

"What's your foot size?"

".....6."

He couldn't help being smol.

The nice receptionist handed him a pair of skates and after pulling his own skates out of a locker, Michael led him into the arena.

Music was playing over a speaker, and there were a few people on the ice. No families with children, just a smattering of people with friends, and the occasional couple. The cold air contrast of the rink permeated Peter's sweater and he held back a shudder. Michael sat him down on a bench and joined him.

"Have you ever skated before? With blades?"

Peter opened his mouth and shut it again. "No."

Michael chuckled. "Here, lemme help you," and knelt down in front him.

Right then and there, Peter thanked his lucky stars that MJ was nowhere around. He still planned on telling her everything later on, but still.

He shoved his foot into the boot, and Michael showed him how to lace them up. He wriggled his toes, adjusting to the stiffness.

"The rentals aren't very comfy," Michael noted "I use my figure skates, and when you start using figure skates, there's no going back!"

He finished lacing Peter's skates and got up to lace his own.

When he was done, he stood up and held his hand out to Peter, who blushed lightly and accepted it. Upon standing, he wobbled on the skates, and Michael caught him.

"Walking on your skates is never fun the first time" He cautioned affectionately. He guided them to an ice entrance, and took both Peter's hands in his.

Peter had to take a breath and make sure he didn't crush Michael's hands.

He took a tentative step out on the ice, one foot after the other, and glided shakily towards the other boy.

"There we go!" Michael encouraged. They skated like this for a little bit, Peter being pulled along by the actual skater. The number of people had dwindled to just a few other couples, and the music had quieted to a soft echo over the ice.

Michael let go of one of Peter's hands. "Do you think you can do it on your own?"

Peter looked down at his feet. He was in a pigeon footed stance to maintain balance, and he was still faltering.

_ Eh. Why not. _

"Sure."

He released the other hand, and slid back a foot.

Then promptly slipped and ate shit. Or more specifically, ate ice.

Michael was at his side in an instant, hands pulling him up, and Peter blushed harder than before.

"It's ok, everyone falls! I fell even before my leg was chopped off." Michael reassured him as he regained his footing.

Back on his feet, Michael still holding him in a waltz-like embrace, one arm around his back, the other holding his hand tightly.

His heart was racing, and it felt like time had come to a stand still. 

He listened closely, and Michael's heart was beating just as fast

There were almost no other people left, and the music changed. It was an 80's soft rock song that Peter had heard before.

_ I can't fight this feeling any longer _

_ And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow _

_ What started out as friendship has grown stronger _

_ You give my life direction, you make everything so clear _

Michael didn't let go of him, instead, sliding them backwards, swaying in tune to the song.

_ And I can't fight this feeling anymore _

_ I've forgotten what I'd started fighting for _

_ It's time to bring this ship into the shore _

_ And throw away the oars forever _

_ Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore _

Peter let out a shaky sigh and leaned closer to Michael, inhaling his scent. He listened closely.

And heard their heartbeats synchronize.

  
  


The time was nearing 8:30, and Michael brought Peter home lest he face the wrath of May. They strolled down the hallway, Peter's hand tucked comfortably in the crook of Michael's elbow. He leaned gently into the taller boys touch. 

They arrived at Peter's door and they separated, turning to one another.

"Let's go skating again sometime." Peter blurted.

Michael blinked in surprise, then breathlessly laughed. "Yeah! Absolutely." His eyes flitted away, then back again "I'm glad you had a good time." 

Peter felt his face grow warm. "I'm glad we did this."

There was a moment of silence, and the air seemed to crackle between them.

They were unconsciously leaning closer, faces just inches apart.

"Ca-can I kiss you?" Michael breathed.

A smile broke out on the shorter boy's face. "Yes."

They closed the gap, eyes falling closed. Peter brought his hands up to Michael's face, and just barely had to stand on his toes. Michael settled his hands firmly on Peter's waist, holding him close.

This kiss was more patient than the last. That one was full of pent up longing and desire. This one was soft and sweet, like it had all the time in the world.

They finally separated, staring deep into each other's eyes.

They bid each other good night, and like that, the night was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> taconender92801 on tumblr

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! But be gentle, I'm sensitive. Ask me more at my Tumblr, @tacobender92801


End file.
